COMMUNITY STORIES
Featured
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s mockery of a ululating fan at her April 10 Coachella performance ignited a conversation about a centuries-old vocal tradition rooted in joy, celebration, womanhood and resistance.
By Amna Khalafalla
In North Philly, Muslims from around the world stepped out in style for “Big Eid.”
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Research has found that community belonging reduces isolation and strengthens emotional well-being. And as a physician involved in community health and mental health education, Sakr believes that such gatherings can offer meaningful emotional support.
By Elissa Odeh
More than 110 people gathered on April 15 for The Welcoming Center’s Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers initiative, a three-part dinner series held in seven Philadelphia neighborhoods, aimed at bringing neighbors together through food.
By Amna Khalafalla
The Walk offers a scenic pathway around the “Young Meher” statue, which was completed in 1976 by artist Khoren Der Harootian (1909–1991) and dedicated that same year in commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
By Lauren Abunassar
“I’ve watched my mother go from relatively happy …to just watching nothing but the news. Sometimes it’s a bit unbearable. And you get a little mad, like: ‘Why do we have to constantly worry about our people?’”
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Along with business considerations, Elenani said he hopes the Philadelphia location deepens awareness of Palestinian cuisine in a way that feels “joyful and human.”
By Lauren Abunassar
As the U.S. and Israel have escalated strikes on Iran and the death toll has risen, many in the Iranian diaspora are grappling with how, or if, one should embrace celebratory rituals in the face of such collective grief and uncertainty.
By Gawhara Abou-eid
“Over the past four years, through information and resource sharing, schools are better equipped to be responsive to the needs of their community.”
By Kenza Bousseloub
In this documentary short, two families — Sudanese and Lebanese — share their stories, reflecting on the sacrifices immigrant parents make, the debt their children feel they owe, and how each generation envisions a fulfilling life.
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Ali Srour never planned to become a professional barber, but the Arab American regulars at Ali’s Barbershop on South Street are glad he did.
By Kenza Bousseloub
The Jan. 24 event featured local and Sudanese vendors and a screening of “Sudan, Remember Us.”
By Kenza Bousseloub
On December 19, Amani's and Lucio's families and friends came together for a one–of–a–kind North Philly engagement party.
By Ben Bennett
“It’s just a Palestinian’s addiction. You just know [when] you go to your parents’ house, you’ll have a couple big jugs of homemade olive oil.”
By Kenza Bousseloub
At three cafés in South Philadelphia, North African men gather for coffee, company and Kabyle music.
By Ben Bennett
The 2030 census will include a new racial category: ‘MENA’. Until then, these interactive maps, based on data from the Pew Research Center, show where some of Philadelphia’s SWANA communities have settled.
By Gawhara Abou-eid
The farm supports immigrant and refugee families in Norristown, as well as other residents, through hands-on agriculture, nutrition education and culturally relevant crop production.
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Maintaining heritage language fluency is not only a personal effort but also a community challenge. Limited language programming in schools and mosques means families often bear the burden alone. That’s where Bilingual Counseling Assistants become vital.
By Ben Bennett
The three organizers of Philly Climbers for Palestine want to continue fundraising and directly support the people in Gaza.
By Kenza Bousseloub
What makes Neshaminy State Park such a popular gathering place for SWANA families?
By Ragad Ahmad
Every Sunday night, Fatih Ahmed commits what locals consider football treason. From his Doylestown living room, deep in Eagles territory, he roots for the Giants with the kind of blind devotion that none of his friends can understand.
By Gawhara Abou-eid
The Hebron facility had long played a crucial role in preserving heirloom seed varieties critical to Palestinian foodways and climate resilience. With preservation in the West Bank increasingly endangered, diaspora-based efforts have stepped in to continue the work.
By Lauren Abunassar
Community gatherings like “Acts of Resistance” become a way to reject the notion that our grief or our desires for freedom and witness are singular—an understanding that is a key piece of reclaiming agency.
By Ragad Ahmad
For Palestinian-Americans in Philadelphia, this summer's FIFA Club World Cup offered a glimpse of what the sports world could look like as Lincoln Financial Field was transformed into an unexpected space for cultural celebration and political solidarity.
By Elissa Odeh
“Aside from just trying to survive, you’re also dealing with culture shock, the expectations of living in America, language barriers and isolation. All of it only delays the healing process.”
By Ragad Ahmad
At the heart of this transnational olive oil network sits one man: Jamal Al-Zaghloul, who has earned the nickname "the FedEx of the West Bank" among Philadelphia-area Palestinian families.
By Ragad Ahmad
For Saif Manna of Manna Bakery, his grandmothers represented contrasting approaches to Palestinian cuisine, and each influenced his food philosophy.
By Elissa Odeh
Organized by church volunteers, the festival has become a highlight of the year for both the Lebanese American community and Philadelphians interested in Middle Eastern culture.
By Elissa Odeh
At Majdal Bakery, Kenan Rabah strives to serve Philly a taste of his heritage, helping him reshape his identity from one lost in political conflict to one rooted in history and tradition.
By Elissa Odeh
For Samar Dahleh, the community element of tatreez is what draws her to it the most. “You are supposed to sit like the khaltos (aunties) used to, do tatreez together, chatter and enjoy a cup of tea,” she said.